Ben Foster and Chris Pine play incredibly convincing brothers in David Mackenzie‘s knockout drama, Hell or High Water, written by Sicario scribe Taylor Sheridan. Tanner (Foster) and Toby (Pine) have their differences, but they’re definitely from the same family. Their mutual trust, their shorthand, their inside jokes, and how they express themselves — they’re cut from the same cloth. The criminals are far from heroes, but their tight bond makes them surprisingly empathetic in Hell or High Water, which hits home video tomorrow. To celebrate the release, we’ve been premiering a clip from one of the film’s bonus features.

If you haven’t seen David Mackenzie‘s Hell or High Water yet, then you’re missing out on one thrilling drama. Mackenzie’s picture opened to rave reviews last month, and since then, it’s been expanding into theaters and finding a responsive audience. Right from the opening shot, this film grabs its audience and doesn’t let go.

In the latest Anatomy of a Scene featured below, Mackenzie breaks down his film’s first shot and robbery sequence.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster kicked off the year with The Finest Hours, a tale of heroism and survival at sea. Now they’ve reunited for Hell or High Water, which seems like it could have been an alternate title for The Finest Hours but actually has nothing to do with water at all. Instead, the crime drama directed by David Mackenzie (Starred Up, Perfect Sense) centers on two brothers in West Texas who rob a string of banks to keep their family farm from going under.

Before long, their spree catches the attention of the authorities, represented here by two Texas Rangers played by Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham. Hell or High Water got some very good reviews at Cannes earlier this year and is now on its way to U.S. theaters. Check out the latest Hell or High Water trailer after the jump. Read More »

Lately, we’ve seen some trailers that begin with advertisements for the trailer. I don’t understand this trend, but it seems to keep happening. Hell or High Water is the latest trailer to begin with an ad, including shots we see later on in the footage. Why you’d have to sell a trailer to someone who’s already decided to watch it is beyond me, but enough about that. Let’s instead focus on Hell or High Water, the upcoming film from Starred Up and Perfect Sensedirector David Mackenzie. Mackenzie’s thriller stars Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, and more.

Would you see a western-tinged heist movie starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Jeff Bridges? What if it was written by the guy who scripted Sicario, Taylor Sheridan, and directed by David Mackenzie, who made Starred Up? You’ll get a chance, as the film Comancheria is now rolling with that team behind the camera. Read More »

Jack O’Connell is one of those names you don’t know yet, but will very soon. The 24-year-old British actor has been in the mix for a bunch of high-profile roles over the past few years, and finally booked one in 300: Rise of an Empire — before nabbing an even bigger one in Angelina Jolie‘s Unbroken. And while we’ve seen lots of pretty young faces come and go, his performance in David Mackenzie‘s excellent prison drama Starred Up suggests that this one has real staying power.

Jack O’Connell is one of those young actors who’s right on the verge of breaking out. He’s not too well known in the U.S. yet (except maybe to U.K. Skins enthusiasts), but he’s on his way there, having come close to some high-profile projects like The Secret Service and Beautiful Creatures. And he should be much more famous by the end of this year, once 300: Rise of an Empire and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken are through with him.

The film that marks the turning point in his career is Starred Up, a gritty British drama that earned raves upon its Telluride premiere last year. O’Connell plays young Eric Love, a 19-year-old who winds up incarcerated in the same prison that holds his dad, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn). David Mackenzie (Perfect Sense, Young Adam) directed, and Rupert Friend also stars. Watch the intriguing first trailer after the jump.

Perfect Sense, once called The Last Word, debuted almost a year ago at Sundance 2011, and is just now finally starting to get a little promo push in the US. The concept of the film is pretty simple: what happens if our senses started to disappear, to the point where things get a bit dangerous?

It’s a bit like Contagion with added romance as Ewan McGregor plays one of the people who are experiencing the disorienting loss of senses, and Eva Green plays the girl he falls for, who also happens to be an epidemiologist who has a line on the viral outbreak that may be causing the problem. What are the odds? There’s a new trailer that is similar to one released around the Sundance debut, but has some new looks at the movie, and you can check it out below. Read More »

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?

David Mackenzie‘s first movie of 2011, Perfect Sense, was a cerebral end-of-the-world tale in which Ewan McGregor and Eva Green fell in love as the human race slowly lost its senses. Mackenzie’s second film of the year, You Instead, seems to be in many ways its polar opposite: a lighthearted, energetic story about enjoying the hell out of your senses.

Natalia Tena (Tonks from the Harry Potter franchise) and Luke Treadaway (the scrawny pothead from Attack the Block) star as Morello and Adam, leaders of rival bands who find themselves handcuffed together during Scotland’s T at the Park music festival. Watch the trailer and after the jump.